Chapter Ten
Holly forced herself to wake up. It wasn’t always this way with her. But after everything that had happened, she swore she could have slept for days.
She heard the shower shut off. Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling. She wasn’t sure Rez had seen it. She’d painted a starry night sky streaked with wispy clouds over the whole then added smooth, dark wood beams.
She never tired of looking at the mural during the day. But when the shutters rose, she’d go outside and enjoy the real thing. She had a wood lounge chair on the gravel in the yard for just that purpose. She often spent her early morning hours before dawn, bundled up with a soft blanket, a glass of wine in her hand, her gaze fixed to the night sky.
Maybe the mural eased the vampire in her, the less dominant half of her realm nature.
Thoughts of her vampire-self made her touch her gums once more. They’d healed through the night. She recalled taking Rez’s blood. Without warning, her body shivered and shuddered and her sex tightened erotically.
She was so surprised by the strong visceral reaction, she cried out, “Oh.”
A moment later, Rez called back, “You okay in there?” She realized the shower had stopped running.
“I’m fine.” She clamped a hand over her mouth.
He appeared in the doorway near the bank of windows and her hand eased away. Sometimes life served up a whole series of shocks, however, because seeing him gave her another serious jolt. He was working a towel through his hair and wore only a second towel wrapped low on his hips.
His body.
His warrior body.
He was built on powerful lines. His six-five frame with so many well-defined muscles made her heart skip a beat.
“You sure you’re okay? Last night was, well, full of a lot of new and difficult situations.”
She leaned up on her elbows, though she kept the sheet pulled over her breasts. “As it was for you.”
“But I’m used to battle.” He settled the loose towel around his neck then sat down on the side of the bed.
He covered her hand. “You must be exhausted.” He looked concerned.
“Actually, now that I’m more awake I think I feel pretty great. I slept well. Although for a moment there, when I first opened my eyes, I swore I could have slept for a year.” When his brows rose, she added, “What?”
He chuckled. “You don’t remember, do you?”
“Remember what? Last night? Of course, I do.”
When he shook his head, she asked again. “Okay. What don’t I remember?”
“You woke me up thrashing. You even punched me in the face. Later, you were talking in your sleep.”
“Oh, no.” Holly put a hand to her cheek. The covers had slipped a bit so she tugged them back up. “I’m so sorry I hit you. But what did I say?”
He appeared to debate telling her. “Not sure. You mumbled something about your brother. That much I know.”
“Oh, right. He’s been on my mind lately. Maybe because of battling the Invictus last night.” She looked away from him and drew a deep breath. “But I really am okay. Have you given much thought to the night’s plan?”
He let go of her hand and rose to his feet. “I have a few ideas. But coffee first?”
“Sweet Goddess, yes!”
He laughed again. “Coming up.” He grabbed his gear and returned to the bathroom.
She was surprised to learn she’d been thrashing since she felt so well-rested.
She reviewed the prior night’s events from the beginning. She’d healed Rez and felt so sexually driven toward him that she had hot sex against an oak tree. They’d battled five Invictus pairs using the time-path. Oregis and Davido showed up and off they went once more within the continuum to discover and investigate the lair of a heinous dark fae name Lanarae and her accomplice, Mastyr Cruce.
Her thoughts settled down as she pondered the terrible reality of all those wraiths penned up in the cavern. She knew instinctively they were being used as blood cattle. It now seemed likely Lanarae had found a method of creating Invictus pairs by using wraith-blood.
For a long moment, she began to wonder what was happening to her. Her faeness had kicked in as it never had before. She was caught up in an extraordinary point in time, a kind of convergence.
She put a hand to her chest. She was a blood rose. She could feel the beginnings of a new supply for Rez. She could also detect the level of his blood-need and it was low. This alone was extraordinary.
She sat up slowly and shoved some of the comforter behind her to keep her lower back warm. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she stared at the shutters opposite the bed. With the sun setting, it wouldn’t be long before they rose for the night.
Settling her chin on her knees, what struck her was the incredible reality that she now had fangs. She touched her tongue to the place on her gums where they would emerge from a very complex arrangement near her incisors. She felt the slightly raw spots and sent more healing.
A sudden, powerful memory, of taking Rez’s blood, surged once more. What followed was a wave of sexual energy and a need that almost had her crying out, even calling for Rez.
But how wise would that be? Though her libido wanted to hop on the bullet train, she experienced a profound need to put on the breaks.
So, she did.
Rez was suddenly in her mind however. What’s going on? Then in a lower timbre, he added, Do you need me? Even within her head, his voice had dropped to a deeper, sexier octave. He was making an offer, but she knew she needed to refuse.
I’m fine. Just hopping in the shower. She made good on her response by shoving the covers back and heading to the bathroom.
~ ~ ~
Rez didn’t mistake the scent that perfumed the whole house and it was sex. He wore a fresh set of leathers that was so tight right across the crotch he could hardly breath.
He had no idea what had given sudden rise to her desire for him. But it took every ounce of strength he possessed not to head back to the bedroom and hunt her down.
He tried picking up his mug, but his hands shook. He focused on breathing.
It helped that the shutters began to rise. He shifted to watch the forest and the distant stars come into view.
Holly had cleared a viewing path to the forest mountains in the distance. She’d chosen the location extremely well.
At last, his body calmed down. He picked up his coffee and crossed to the large picture window. Squirrels raced across the needle strewn ground. His world was very like earth, except even the birds and animals were active at night in the Nine Realms.
He felt a powerful vibration against his telepathy. Someone was asking permission to talk to him.
It took him a few seconds recognize the caller.
Stone.
The ruling mastyr of Tannisford would be their first stop. Holly and I have news. Big news. Can we meet up?
Glad to hear it and yes. Be at my lake house in ten.
Holly needs to eat and she’s showering. Given how rugged the night before had been and that tonight’s activities would no doubt be equally as taxing, she deserved a shower and a good meal to start. How about a half hour? I want to make sure she’s taken care of.
Done. Davido says you can get here no problem through the time-path? Is that true?
Looks like it.
Okay. I want to hear everything. Stone pathed the location then ended the telepathic call.
Rez eased up his hold on his mug. Memories of the beating he’d taken came back suddenly and in full force. Only this time, he finally understood Stone’s reaction prompting the attack in the first place.
He brought his mug to his lips and drank. He returned to the kitchen to scramble a few eggs and make some toast.
He only paused when Holly arrived. “I’m starving. That smells like heaven.”
As he buttered the bread his gaze became fixed to hers. She didn’t even seem real somehow. A blood rose. A powerful fae. Rare fangs.
So beautiful with her long hair to her waist. He doubted she had the smallest idea how appealing she was. There was an innocence to her that got to him. Her male students probably had hard-ons the whole time she taught.
He could smell the rich, healing quality of her blood and detected the extra supply she was making for him. The scent carried geranium, but mostly it was her.
He looked away abruptly and busied himself with loading the plates. He added a fork for each then slid hers along the counter. “Stone wants us at his lake house in thirty.”
She picked up her plate then carried it to the table. She sat where she had the morning before. “His lake house. I understand it’s hidden behind mist. But isn’t that where Margetta attacked the Combined Forces not long before the final battle?”
“It is.” A recounting had been in all the papers. Stone had delivered the details himself.
He brought his own plate to the table and sat down.
She took a bite of toast. Her gaze slid over his bare shoulders since he wore only a tank. She blinked slowly. He resisted the urge to flex for her.
She looked away and settled her gaze out the window. He wasn’t fooled. A rush of her mating scent washed over him. His balls tingled and his cock hardened.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
He tackled his breakfast and didn’t care if he was being rude. She watched him then laughed.
He met her gaze and with his mouth way too full, he mumbled, “What?” There was nothing funny about this.
“I was just remembering what it was like to be sixteen, how I felt on the verge of sex every other second. Only with you, with how you’re built, and with all my blood rose hormones racing through me, well, it’s about a thousand times worse.”
He chuckled and stopped wolfing. It was good to laugh. They were in it now. Each had decided on this path. He wasn’t alone.
It seemed strange to even have the thought: He wasn’t alone.
He’d been alone for two years.
He frowned needing to make his reality clear both to himself and to her. For the present, they had a job to do. “I can’t be with you. Long term, I mean. I need you to know that.”
~ ~ ~
Holly sighed. “You think it’ll be that simple, Rez? I have my own reasons, as you know, for not being happy about this arrangement. But after last night, I don’t know what’s going to happen next. For one thing, I never thought I’d have fangs and engage in a blood draw, but now I swear it’s all I think about.”
She put her hand to her chest. “I’m building a new supply and I know exactly how much as of this minute you need. It’s as though the part of me that is a blood rose releases a steady stream of energy straight to your core. I’m constantly taking measurements. Can you feel it as well?”
He shook his head slowly.
Holly frowned. “Really?”
She watched him gather up a last bite of eggs on his fork. “Nope. Not at all.” The fork went into his mouth.
“Then I wonder if this would apply to all the mastyrs I meet.”
His arm shot out and he grabbed her wrist, though he gentled his hold at the last second. “Don’t even think it.”
She was stunned on so many levels. He had hold of her arm in an aggressive way all because she’d mentioned ‘other mastyrs’. Worse though, his touch thrilled her and sent shivers chasing each other all over her body.
His gaze dropped to the hold he had on her and it seemed he made a monumental decision to let her go. “Sorry about that.”
She chuckled again. “Yeah. This will be so-o-o simple.”
He picked up his plate and rose from the table. “Okay, maybe it’s not going to be easy and straightforward.” He continued speaking as he moved into the kitchen. “But, I repeat, I don’t have a damn thing for you long-term. We’ll just have to figure something out when the time comes.”
She gained her feet as well and gathered up her own dishes. “But don’t you see the predicament that puts me in? I’m going to have to go out there at some point in the very near future and find a vampire mate. And I don’t want to.”
She swore his hands shook as he started rinsing the dishes. She also felt a wave of his mastyr power rush over her, full of possession, in the same way he’d grabbed her wrist.
His jaw was rigid. “I promise you, I’ll help you do just that.”
She hardly knew what to say. It was the last thing she’d expected to hear from him after a day’s sleep. His words rankled. His attitude as well. Wasn’t she good enough for the deserter? Except he wasn’t a deserter and it now seemed disloyal of her to even think it. He’d served the entire northeast for the past two years and had saved dozens of lives in the process, especially in those places the Guard couldn’t have reached quickly enough.
Still, why wasn’t she good enough for him?
“You know, I’m considered a catch at university.”
He took her dishes from her hands. Somehow her words poked a hole in the tension and he smiled. “I’m sure you are. You’re not the woman I thought you were, either. You’ve surprised me several times since this all began.”
She opened her mouth to protest, when another thought struck. “I just realized I could say the same thing of you. You’re not at all what I expected.”
“Stone’s waiting.”
She glanced at the remnants of eggs in the frying pan and the crumbs by the toaster. She lifted her brows and nudged him away from the sink. “I won’t leave my kitchen dirty. Period.”
His smile broadened. “I’ll help.”
~ ~ ~
“I had you investigated.”
Rez shifted his gaze to Stone, but the ruling mastyr didn’t look at him. Instead, he stood facing the lake, arms crossed over his chest, gaze fixed to the skies.
Rez felt his heels start to dig in. “Investigated about what?”
This was not a good beginning. He wondered if he and Stone would end up fighting again. Maybe they should have stayed with their women since the last time this happened, Rez had thrown a punch.
Stone lifted an arm and gestured with a sweep across the sky and well above the lake, east to west. “Margetta was there surrounded by powerful Invictus mastyrs. She’d created an impenetrable mist. I wasn’t sure any of us would survive.”
Rez had no idea why Stone was going down memory lane but it boded ill. If Rez had stayed with the Vampire Guard, he would have fought alongside his brother warriors right here. Seemed Stone had a point he wanted to make and it wasn’t good.
Rez remained silent.
Stone finally shifted in Rez’s direction, both arms lowered, neither in fists.
But Rez was ready. If he needed to battle Stone, he would. So be it, but like hell he was apologizing for the decisions he’d made.
“You weren’t here, Mastyr Rez.”
“No. I wasn’t.” Rez kept his breathing steady and slow, though his hands had already begun to ball into fists.
“At the same time the Guard was here, there was an Invictus incident not far from Millerell, a hamlet called Rockpoint. A troll child by the name of Seth, seven-years-old, was plucked off the street. By all accounts, seems a vampire warrior type went in pursuit, saved the child and dispatched the wraith-pair.”
Rez looked away from Stone. He remembered getting the panicked call. He’d gone out in his blue jeans, tank, and no shoes. He’d flown like a maniac.
He’d heard the child’s screams. The wraith had her fangs ready to sink into the boy’s throat.
When children were involved, a switch always got thrown for Rez. He couldn’t remember the details of the fight. That was a blur. But by the time he reached the female wraith, Rez had already sliced her vampire Invictus mate to the spine. With her mate dead, she’d fallen in a heap and the boy had rolled from her arms. Ending the wraith’s life had taken a split-second.
He’d picked up the child, limp in his arms, and had flown him to a fae healer who lived on the outskirts of the village. He’d gotten the child to her in time.
Stone’s voice cut through the memory. “You slaughtered an Invictus pair and saved a child.”
“Yes. Seth. I remember him.”
Stone’s lips quirked. “You weren’t wearing shoes. That’s what was in the report. That’s what the villagers recalled.”
He shook his head. “As soon as I got the call, I was in the air. Didn’t stop to think.”
Stone huffed a sigh. “My Guardsman is still out in the field investigating. He’s texted several incidences, from the past two years, in that village alone.”
“That would be correct.”
“Looks like I owe you an apology.”
“Not necessary.”
Stone opened his mouth then turned swiftly in the direction of the lakeside house. “Hold on. I think the women are upset about something.”
Rez pivoted as well. He extended his vampire hearing and Holly’s voice came through. “As I’ve told you, Rosamunde, the wraiths were in pens. In the cavern. I saw them.”
Rosamunde kept shaking her head. “But what does it all mean? Sweet Goddess. No, no, no. I don’t want this to be true.”
“Something’s wrong,” Stone said.
Rez started moving the same time Stone did.
The house was one long bank of windows facing the lake. He could see the kitchen and dining area off to the left and what was the living room to the right. Both Rosamunde and Holly were in a central space that connected the two rooms. It was a small dwelling and had been Stone’s private getaway before Rosamunde.
By the time Rez arrived in the doorway with Stone, Rosamunde was in tears. She walked straight into Stone’s arms. He wrapped her up then guided her into the dining area.
Rez met Holly’s gaze. What the hell happened?
Holly appeared bewildered as she shrugged. I don’t know. I started telling her about what we saw in the cavern and about Lanarae and somewhere in there she lost it. I swear, I don’t know what I did wrong. Given her status, I thought not only that she would want to know, but that I was obliged to tell her.
He watched the couple and somehow wasn’t surprised when Stone took Rosamunde outside and onto the deck. He had his arms around her but it was clear the woman was sobbing.
Holly drew closer to Rez. I’ve heard she’s with child. I wonder if that’s part of the problem.
Rez had heard the rumors as well. For a fae female, there was no greater blessing than to be pregnant during a wedding ceremony.
Stone pathed to Rez, When Holly started talking about the cavern with the wraiths, Rosamunde experienced a series of battle visions. We’ll be back in a minute.
Rez turned to Holly and relayed what Stone had just told him.
Holly looked back at the couple now embracing fully on the deck. “Battle visions? No wonder she’s upset.”
Rez watched Holly. Was it his imagination, or could he sense what she was experiencing? Was this a blood rose thing? He felt her compassion but he also detected her nerves. He slid his arm around her waist. “Hey. Don’t be frightened.”
She turned to him with wide eyes. “How did you know?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Rez, I’ll be honest. I’m scared out of my mind. My faeness has picked up on Rosamunde. There’s nothing small about what she saw.”
~ ~ ~
“I apologize.” Rosamunde’s eyes were still red-rimmed. “I’ll be okay. The visions were a shock. I thought the battle against the Invictus was over. I thought we’d have a thousand years of peace.”
Holly now sat on the couch with Rez, her leg pressed against his for support. Rosamunde wasn’t sure why, but the visions of a forthcoming battle were very jumbled and seemed to indicate Stone’s force would attack a camp by air. She’d seen a lot of vicious fighting, but nothing to be of help.”
Holly hadn’t expected Rosamunde’s powerful and overwhelming reaction. The woman was ancient and had served as the Queen of Ferrenden Peace for over nine hundred years. She had endured an isolated existence, cloaked as she’d been from the rest of the realms for most that time. No one had even known of her existence until recent months. She’d been hiding from Margetta who had wanted the power Rosamunde possessed.
Now she was married to a ruling mastyr.
Holly supposed their latest trip into the time-path and the discovery of Cruce’s army had overset her. Yet, her faeness warned it was more.
Stone turned the conversation. He wanted details about Cruce’s cavern set-up.
“So, where is it?” Stone’s question came out like a bark.
Rosamunde extended her hand and covered one leather-clad knee with her palm.
Stone appeared startled for a moment as he met her gaze. He then nodded to her.
When she withdrew her hand, Stone addressed Rez in a calmer voice. “Let me rephrase. Do you have any idea where Cruce’s compound might be located?”
Holly shifted her gaze to Rez, but her mind flew back to Millerell. Rez was shaking his head in the negative when Holly figured it out. “Mist.”
“What do you mean?” Rosamunde sat up a little straighter.
Rez twisted his torso to meet Holy’s gaze. “You’re right. That’s it.” He went on to explain about the disguising mist at Millerell.
Rosamunde shook her head and covered her mouth with her hand. Stone surrounded her shoulders with his arm. “It’ll be all right. You’ll see. What you have to realize is that this mission isn’t on your shoulders this time or even on mine.”
She frowned as she met his gaze. “What do you mean? Rez and Holly have come to us for help.” Then her eyes widened as she glanced from Holly to Rez. “Oh, I see. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Holly’s faeness shouted at her. Mastyr Stone was right. Everything she’d gone through with Rez so far now made sense. For whatever reason, she and Rez had been chosen for this particular task, to discover Cruce’s location so Stone and his Vampire Guard could take them out.
Rez wasn’t there yet. “What are you getting at?”
Holly only half-listened as Stone addressed him. He talked about his journey with Rosamunde, what they’d gone through and how they’d bonded.
Instead, Holly’s thoughts were given to how amazing the previous night had been. It was as though she’d lived a lifetime. All the while, she’d come to know Rez much better, to admire and respect him. Vojalie had been right. Holly trusted him, first on instinct alone. But now she’d gotten to know his character. He was a good man and in his own way, had never stopped serving Tannisford.
Rosamunde’s question brought Holly back to the conversation at hand. “But how is the bond being formed? The original Invictus process required a wraith.”
Holly thought she knew. “I believe the dark fae has found a way to use wraith blood to create the Invictus bond between two regular realm-folk.” She described Lanarae’s workshop and how she was processing vials of blood which she kept in her fridge. “Dozens of them.”
Silence reigned for a long minute. Holly pondered all of it.
Stone’s brows were drawn together in a tight furrow. He leaned forward, his gaze switching back and forth between her and Rez. “I need you to do whatever you can to locate Cruce’s base. Once you’ve found him, I’ll take my Guard in and clean out this vile nest.”
The plan was simple and straightforward.
Rez rose to his feet. Holly joined him. “Rosamunde’s vision confirms what we need to do.”
Stone and Rosamunde rose as well. “I’ll inform the Guard.”
Rez turned to Holly. “I think we should start out at the mine and talk with Oregis. He knows Tannisford better than anyone. You and I both saw the snow-capped mountains from the cavern so he might have some ideas. I’m also thinking we need to pay a visit to the black market. Oregis can help with that as well.”
At the mere mention of Oregis, Holly smiled. “You know he’s going to get us in trouble.”
“I have no doubt of it.”
~ ~ ~
Now that a couple of decisions had been made and their course set, Rez turned to face Holly. “The continuum?”
“It’s easiest and fastest.” When he extended his hand, she took it.
He glanced at Stone. He’d pulled out his cell ready to contact the Guard. Rez dipped his chin once as the time-path vibration began.
It was a jolt to be within the flow of time once more. Stone and Rosamunde appeared frozen.
“Where is your mine, Rez?”
“Can you hold us steady for a moment? I need to let Oregis know we’re coming.”
“Sure.”
He contacted Oregis telepathically and ignored the gremlin’s complaints. Please keep Holly in mind and try to control the sex talk.
I will take my wife as often as I want.
I’m not talking about the act. I’m talking about your loose lips.
He sensed the gremlin was chuckling. But my wife likes my loose lips, especially around her –
Rez cut him off. Shut it, you demon with twitchy ears. Be respectful.
Knowing Oregis would happily engage in an argument if given the chance, Rez shut the communication down. To Holly, he said, “He’s decent. Let’s go.”
“I need some guidance here.”
“Right. You’ve never been to the mine or my office. If you picture Oregis, will that take us there?”
“Yes.” He watched her close her eyes and the vibration grew stronger. He still held her hand in his.
When the time-path moved, he didn’t see anything until they arrived. Then his office appeared behind a blur. The walls were pinned with a dozen large maps. Oregis hovered over one of the tables, also laden with maps. He was holding a magnifying glass in one hand and making notes with the other. He’d been a rock hound since he’d first held a crystal in his hands as an infant.
When Holly released the time-path, Rez stood four feet away.
The gremlin glanced back at him. “Glad you made it.”
But Oregis had an edge that was very familiar to Rez. Something was going on.
Despite his concerns about Oregis’s current state of mind, he relayed their current objective to head into the black market to locate either Cruce’s lair or Underworld or both.
Oregis turned then levitated to meet Rez eye-to-eye. “Are you crazy, Warrior? Underworld is full of the worst of our world. Most of those cretins take dark fae potions and commit abominable acts as a way to start the night. Not gonna do it. Besides I need to be here.”
Rez was ready to argue but Oregis got a phone call. Oregis turned away from Rez and spoke in a low tone. “I’m working on it, Luv. You know how much you mean to me. I’ll have word for you by midnight. You know I will.”
Rez saw the tension in his shoulders that didn’t let up even when Oregis put his phone back in the pocket of his leathers.
“The little woman holding out on you?” Rez often teased him.
“We had a down week. Here I mean.” He swept a hand to encompass the office. His eyes were pinched. Oregis went back to the map and pointed to the northwest corner of Tannisford. “There’s something here I want a couple of our miners to explore. I know we found a cache of rubies nearby sometime last year. I’m going to send one of my lead men out there. But I need to go with them.”
These words gave Rez the full picture. He crossed to the safe on the far wall, spun the dial back and forth following the code. He’d used Isobel’s birthdate.
He reached in and removed a small dark blue velvet bag. There were several rubies inside.
Rez returned to the map and set it down in front of Oregis. “I told you to use these as needed.”
Oregis scowled. “They’re for your daughter.”
“And for you. I need you at full bore. More than ever. You know what’s at stake.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Rez laughed. “Thank you will do.”
“Thank you, Rez.” Oregis’s jaw worked as he picked up the bag with both hands then slid it deep into the front pocket behind his waistband. Gremlins had a lot of places to store the things they stole or in this case were given. “You were always a good friend, even if you are a vampire.”
“Now, will you take us to the black market and as close to Underworld as you can get us?”
He grimaced as he cast his gaze Holly’s direction. He moved closer then levitated in a full circle around her. “Sorry, Sweetheart, but we’re going to have to whore you up a bit.”